1. Field of Invention
This invention pertains to mounting apparatus. More particularly, this invention pertains to a universal apparatus for mounting a camera on several different types of hunting weapons.
2. Description of the Related Art
Game hunting has been a popular pastime throughout human history. Before the widespread domestication of animals, hunting was a crucial component of human society. Even as animal domestication became relatively widespread and agriculture became common, hunting was a significant contributor to the human food supply.
Today, modern hunting is commonly regarded as a sport, as well as a conservationist activity. Hunting gives resource managers a valuable tool to control populations of some species that might otherwise exceed the carrying capacity of their habitat and threaten the well-being of other wildlife species, and in some instances, that of human health and safety. Additionally, modern sport hunters often seek wild game for trophy purposes, displaying the inedible portions of their kill as a sign of accomplishment. Evidence of a successful hunt provides modern hunters with a means of sharing their experience with others, both to entertain and to educate others on proper hunting technique.
In pursuit of a better method to document and evince modern hunting activities, many modem hunters attempt to operate still-image or video cameras while they hunt. The use of a camera during hunting allows a hunter to capture the image of their kill as it happens, thus preserving a record of the technique and chronology of the event. However, operation of a camera during hunting is often cumbersome. Most modern hunting weapons require both hands to properly operate. As such, holding and operating a camera while holding and operating a modern hunting weapon is often quite difficult.
The most common weapons employed by the modern hunter include the rifle, the shotgun, the crossbow, and the compound bow and arrow. A typical compound hunting bow includes at least one apparatus for eliminating vibrations in the frame. This apparatus, called a stabilizer, is a member adapted to be secured to the frame of a bow. Several aiming devices have been developed in the prior art which are adapted to attach to a conventional bow stabilizer. Similarly, several devices have been developed to mount an aiming device onto the magazine extension of a typical shotgun. Of course, it is well known in the art that several devices exist to mount various aiming devices above the barrel of a rifle.
So, in response to the difficulty of simultaneous camera and hunting weapon operation, several devices in the known prior art have been developed which allow a hunter to mount a camera to a hunting weapon. One such device provides a mechanical arm with a spring-loaded clamp secured at one end and a screw fastener secured at the other. The clamp secures one end of the mechanical arm to a compound bow, and the screw fastener secures the other end of the mechanical arm to a camera. Another device utilizes a mechanical arm forming a loop at one end, with a similar screw fastener apparatus at an opposite end. The loop is adapted to receive a standard magazine from a pump-action shotgun, and the screw fastener apparatus secures a camera to the opposite end of the mechanical arm. Still another device includes an integrated video recording device with a mounting loop capable of receiving the barrel of a rifle or other firearm.
Notwithstanding this technology, a major obstacle presents itself when a stationary mounting device is used to mount a conventional hand-held video camera to a modern hunting weapon. Specifically, most conventional hand-held video cameras react negatively to quick, sudden jarring movements, such as being struck or shaken. The common effect of such a sudden jarring movement is to cause the conventional hand-held video camera to temporarily lose focus and clarity, and in some instances, to momentarily stop recording altogether. Most modern projectile weapons, including modern hunting weapons, produce some sort of recoil action when fired. Rifles and shotguns produce recoil projecting the weapon away from the direction of firing, while the crossbow and the bow and arrow produce recoil projecting the weapon towards the direction of firing. Therefore, when a conventional hand-held video camera is fixedly mounted to any of these modern hunting weapons, the effect of use is typically poor picture quality at the moment of firing, often when good quality documentation is most desired.
Additionally, many modern hunters carry more than one weapon into the field, often of varying type and caliber. This practice allows hunters to evaluate their hunting environment and to select an appropriate weapon to accommodate the situation. However, most conventional devices used to mount a camera to a modern hunting weapon are designed to fit a single, specific type of weapon. As a result, a modern hunter wishing to mount a camera to a number of hunting weapons must carry a different mounting apparatus for each weapon. It is therefore desirable to construct a single, universal camera mounting device capable of mounting a conventional hand-held camera to any of a variety of modern hunting weapons.